The Iron Wyrm Affair: Bannon and Clare, Book 1

Emma Bannon, forensic sorceress in the service of the Empire, has a mission: to protect Archibald Clare, a failed, unregistered mentath. His skills of deduction are legendary, and her own sorcery is not inconsiderable. It doesn't help much that they barely tolerate each other, or that Bannon's Shield, Mikal, might just be a traitor himself. Or that the conspiracy killing registered mentaths and sorcerers alike will just as likely kill them as seduce them into treachery toward their Queen.

The Red Plague Affair: A Bannon and Clare Case

The fantastic follow-up to The Iron Wyrm Affair, set in an alternate Victorian world where magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head. Emma Bannon, Sorceress Prime in service to Queen Victrix, has a mission: to find the doctor who has created a powerful new weapon. Her friend, the mentath Archibald Clare, is only too happy to help. Unfortunately, their quarry is a fanatic, and his poisonous discovery is just as dangerous to Britannia as to Her enemies.

The Ripper Affair: Bannon and Clare

The enthralling conclusion to the Bannon and Clare trilogy from New York Times best-selling author, Lilith Saintcrow. Sorcery. Treason. Madness. And, of course, murder most foul... A shattering accident places Archibald Clare, mentath in the service of Britannia, in the care of Emma Bannon, sorceress Prime. Clare needs a measure of calm to repair his faculties of Logic and Reason. Without them, he is not his best. At all.

The Diamond Conspiracy: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Book 4

Having narrowly escaped the electrifying machinations of Thomas Edison, Books and Braun are looking forward to a relaxing and possibly romantic voyage home. But when Braun's emergency signal goes off, all thoughts of recreation vanish. Braun's streetwise team of child informants, the Ministry Seven, is in grave peril, and Books and Braun must return to England immediately.

Prudence

When Prudence Alessandra Maccon Akeldama ("Rue" to her friends) is bequeathed an unexpected dirigible, she does what any sensible female under similar circumstances would do: she christens it the Spotted Custard and floats off to India. Soon she stumbles upon a plot involving local dissidents, a kidnapped brigadier's wife, and some awfully familiar Scottish werewolves.

Trailer Park Fae: Gallow and Ragged, Book 1

Jeremiah Gallow is just another construction worker, and that's the way he likes it. He's left his past behind, but some things cannot be erased. Like the tattoos on his arms that transform into a weapon or that he was once closer to the Queen of Summer than any half human should be. Now the half-sidhe all in Summer once feared is dragged back into the world of enchantment, danger, and fickle fae - by a woman who looks uncannily like his dead wife.

Waistcoats & Weaponry

Sophronia continues her second year at finishing school in style - with a steel-bladed fan secreted in the folds of her ball gown, of course. Such a fashionable choice of weapon comes in handy when Sophronia, her best friend Dimity, sweet sootie Soap, and the charming Lord Felix Mersey stowaway on a train to return their classmate Sidheag to her werewolf pack in Scotland. No one suspected what - or who - they would find aboard that suspiciously empty train.

Phoenix Rising: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel

Evil is most assuredly afoot - and Britain’s fate rests in the hands of an alluring renegade... and a librarian. These are dark days indeed in Victoria’s England. Londoners are vanishing, then reappearing, washing up as corpses on the banks of the Thames, drained of blood and bone. Yet the Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences - the Crown’s clandestine organization whose bailiwick is the strange and unsettling - will not allow its agents to investigate. Fearless and exceedingly lovely Eliza D. Braun, however, with her disturbing fondness for dynamite, refuses to let the matter rest...

The Janus Affair: A Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences Novel, Book 2

Certainly no strangers to peculiar occurrences, agents Wellington Books and Eliza Braun are nonetheless stunned to observe a fellow passenger aboard Britain's latest hypersteam train suddenly vanish in a dazzling bolt of lightning. They soon discover this is not the only such disappearance...with each case going inexplicably unexamined by the Crown. The fate of England is once again in the hands of an ingenious archivist paired with a beautiful, fearless lady of adventure.

A Study in Silks

In a Victorian era ruled by a council of ruthless steam barons, mechanical power is the real monarch and sorcery the demon enemy of the Empire. Nevertheless, the most coveted weapon is magic that can run machines - something Evelina has secretly mastered. But rather than making her fortune, her special talents could mean death or an eternity as a guest of Her Majesty's secret laboratories. What's a polite young lady to do but mind her manners and pray she's never found out?

The Queen Is Dead

When her brother Val gets in over his head in an investigation of Half-Blood disappearances and goes missing himself, it's up to Xandra, newly crowned Goblin Queen, to get him back and bring the atrocities to light. Xandra must frequent the seediest parts of London, while also coping with what she is, the political factions vying for her favor, and the all-too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who wants her head.

Lady Claire Trevelyan had been looking forward to glittering balls, congenial society, and relief from pursuit during her stay with Lord and Lady Dunsmuir in the Canadas. Well, perhaps not entirely. Being pursued by a handsome airship captain is rather diverting, especially when it appears her erstwhile employer, Andrew Malvern, is becoming much too distracted by a certain blond mechanic.

Dawn's Early Light: Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences

After being ignominiously shipped out of England following their participation in the Janus affair, Braun and Books are ready to prove their worth as agents. But what starts as a simple mission in the States - intended to keep them out of trouble - suddenly turns into a scandalous and convoluted case that has connections reaching as far as Her Majesty the Queen.

The Shadow Revolution: Crown & Key, Book 1

As fog descends, obscuring the gas lamps of Victorian London, werewolves prowl the shadows of back alleys. But they have infiltrated the inner circles of upper-crust society as well. Only a handful of specially gifted practitioners are equipped to battle the beasts.

Moonlight & Mechanicals

London, 1859: Engineer Winifred 'Wink' Hadrian has been in love with Inspector Liam McCullough for years, but is beginning to lose hope when he swears to be a lifelong bachelor. Faced with a proposal from a Knight of the Round Table and one of her closest friends, Wink reluctantly agrees to consider him instead. Because of his dark werewolf past, Liam tries to keep his distance, but can't say no when Wink asks him to help find her friend's missing son.

A Study in Darkness: Book Two in The Baskerville Affair

When a bomb goes off at 221B Baker Street, Evelina Cooper is thrown into her uncle Sherlock's world of mystery and murder. But just when she thought it was safe to return to the ballroom, old, new, and even dead enemies are clamoring for a place on her dance card. Before Evelina's even unpacked her gowns for a country house party, an indiscretion puts her in the power of the ruthless Gold King, who recruits her as his spy. He knows her disreputable past and exiles her to the rank alleyways of Whitechapel with orders to unmask his foe.

Steam and Sorcery

Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess....

Long Live the Queen: Immortal Empires series, Book 3

Xandra Vardan thought life would be simpler when she accepted the goblin crown and became their queen, but life has only become more complicated. Everyone - vampires, werewolves and humans - wants the goblins on their side, because whoever has the goblins - wins.

A Study in Ashes: The Baskerville Affair, Book 3

As part of her devil’s bargain with the industrial steam barons, Evelina Cooper is finally enrolled in the Ladies’ College of London. However, she’s attending as the Gold King’s pet magician, handcuffed and forbidden contact with even her closest relation, the detective Sherlock Holmes. But Evelina’s problems are only part of a larger war. The Baskerville affair is finally coming to light, and the rebels are making their move to wrest power from the barons and restore it to Queen Victoria.

Magnificent Devices: A Steampunk Adventure Novel (Volume 3)

An air voyage to remember turns into a disaster no one may survive. With her orphaned charges, Lady Claire Trevelyan joins the Earl of Dunsmuir’s family on an airship voyage to the Americas. If she can stay out of Lord James Selwyn’s way until her eighteenth birthday, she will be of age and cannot be forced into marriage. What she doesn’t know is that Lord James is in the Americas, too, with Andrew Malvern closing in on him - and the wonderful device he stole.

From the Creators of the award-winning steampunk Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences series comes a collection of new adventures from around the world. The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences investigates the bizarre and unusual, and protects the citizens of the Empire from forces of darkness. Every agent knows that thrusting themselves into danger is part of the job, and may demand of them the ultimate sacrifice. They call on their own inner strength, wits, intellect, and innovations of science and technology.

The Clockwork Scarab: A Stoker & Holmes Novel, Book 1

Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes never meant to get into the family business. But when you're the sister of Bram and the niece of Sherlock, vampire hunting and mystery solving are in your blood. And so, when two society girls go missing, there's no one more qualified to investigate. Now, the fierce Evaline and the logical Mina must resolve their rivalry, in order to navigate the advances of not just one, but three mysterious gentlemen, and solve a murder with only one clue: the strange Egyptian scarab.

Oracle: The House War, Book 6

Beneath the streets of Averalaan, capital city of the Essalieyan Empire, lie the three Princes of the firstborn, doomed to sleep until the end of days. When gods walked the world, they feared the Sleepers. They fear them even now. If the Sleepers wake, the city will not survive - and the Sleepers are waking.

The Spiritglass Charade

After the Affair of the Clockwork Scarab, Evaline Stoker and Mina Holmes are eager to help Princess Alix with a new case. Seventeen-year-old Willa Aston is obsessed with spiritual mediums, convinced she is speaking with her mother from beyond the grave. What seems like a case of spiritualist fraud quickly devolves into something far more menacing: Someone is trying to make Willa "appear lunatic", using an innocent-looking spiritglass to control her. The list of clues piles up: an unexpected murder, a gang of pickpockets, and the return of vampires to London.

Evernight

Will Thorne is living a nightmare, his sanity slowly being drained away by a force he can't control. His talents have made him the perfect assassin for hire. But as he loses his grip on reality, there is no calming him - until he finds his next target: the mysterious Holly Evernight. Holly cannot fathom who would put a contract on her life, yet the moment she touches Will, the connection between them is elemental, undeniable - and she's the only one who can tame his bouts of madness.

Publisher's Summary

Emma Bannon, forensic sorceress in the service of the Empire, has a mission: to protect Archibald Clare, a failed, unregistered mentath. His skills of deduction are legendary, and her own sorcery is not inconsiderable. It doesn't help much that they barely tolerate each other, or that Bannon's Shield, Mikal, might just be a traitor himself. Or that the conspiracy killing registered mentaths and sorcerers alike will just as likely kill them as seduce them into treachery toward their Queen.

In an alternate London where illogical magic has turned the Industrial Revolution on its head, Bannon and Clare now face hostility, treason, cannon fire, black sorcery, and the problem of reliably finding hansom cabs.

I normally eat up this type of world; set in a Victorian England with lots of steampunk toys and plenty of supernaturals. This just didn't hold my attention. Very disappointing.

I liked Quirk's narration. Unfortunately, Saintcrow's attempt to describe Bannon and Clare's surroundings, the mystery they were trying to solve, and the undertones of the character's relationships were all a jumbled mess. It didn't come together like many other Saintcrow books I have read. My comprehension skills are just fine, but I found it hard to make sense of the plot at certain points. I think the story needed to be restructured before it should have been published.

In terms of the storyline itself, I was equally disappointed. For every positive aspect of this book, there is a negative one. The most obvious example I can think of is Clare and Bannon. Archibald Clare is observant, pleasant, and candid. Clare's antithesis is definitely Emma Bannon. She came off as self-centered, haughty, and callous. I will openly admit that it has a lot to do with the social/class system. Nevertheless, it was disturbing. The Prime/Shield relationship seems to be set up to breed narcissists and lapdogs. I liked the 'mentaths,' but sorcery world's caste-like power system offended my American sensibilities.

If you're tired of traditional steampunk (do we have "traditional steampunk" yet?), Bannon and Clare are a wonderfully novel approach to the gothic Victorian magic-and-metal genre. The book is, at its heart, a mystery, heavily reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes, with distinctly dark undertones. The main characters take a little bit of warming up to (which is probably just how they like it) but are well-written and multi-faceted. The supporting characters are fascinating, and make you want to read more about them. Moira Quirk is an excellent reader, and her cultured voice is well-suited to the book - or, it should be.

Yet somehow, Quirk's reading and Saintcrow's writing mix like oil and vinegar. Something about the style of writing, which is heavy on rapid-fire conversation with very delicate exchanges, makes it very difficult to follow when Quirk is reading. I frequently had to stop, back up, and listen to a passage again to figure out what had just happened, because I'd glazed over what was spoken. This review doesn't have a plot summary included because there are huge portions of the book where I'm not quite sure what happened.

To be fair, I much prefer to listen to books I've already read than those I'm encountering for the first time, so some of this may be personal preference. If you are an ardent audiobook listener, by all means, give this one a shot. But I've listened to many audiobooks that kept me alert on a long drive, and this one would not have done so.

This was an enjoyable book, and I am crossing my fingers and hoping Saintcrow brings Bannon and Clare back for more. But I think I'll read the next one in print.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more action packed ride then The Iron Wyrm Affair. Indeed I was blown away by just how nonstop the pace was with this particular novel. Whenever I think of Victorian London I just picture things moving along at a nice steady civil and proper pace *chuckles* – but how wrong I was – and delightfully so! This alternate Victorian London has a rich world building that I’m happy to say I haven’t come across before and marvelous fun set of characters!

A high strung sorceress if there ever was one

Now when I say high strung I don’t mean that at all in a bad way. Simply that Miss Emma Bannon knows what she is about and she knows her status and capabilities. She’s a prime sorceress. Now get used to hearing that word Prime and prima (what her bodyguard Mikal calls her) because she focuses so much on her rank that a few times I found it rather annoying. Sorcerers always have ‘Shields’ that act as their protectors and go about with them everywhere because while Sorcerers can be extremely powerful – using their skills can keep them so occupied that it can leave them vulnerable to attack. Someone of her station would normally have 4 or more Shields but right now Emma only has the one, Mikal. Her relationship with him is a very interesting one indeed and I have to admit very unexpected for me since I thought if there was going to be any romantic interest in this novel that it would have been between Emma Bannon and Archibald Clare – but again I was delightfully wrong. But don’t expect romance because really there isn’t any – just a tense mutual interest you can see simmering at times on both sides.

Oy! I’m having some trouble attaching!

I wish that there were more downtime or more insight into Emma’s thoughts so I could have gotten to know her character better. Because of the pace of the book I felt like I didn’t get as attached to her as I did to Archibald Clare. Though the reason for this was likely because of the narrative style of the book. I really don’t believe we actually did get internal thoughts much at all. Except for Clare – since he spoke his thoughts aloud. This luckily enabled me to get behind Clare as a character because of his penchant for voicing his thoughts and opinions out loud (something I already noted as mostly lacking with Emma). This undoubtedly was my biggest sticking point about the book. I do think things moved so fast I didn’t get to know the characters as well as I should have but I think that could have been resolved if the style of narrative had been tweaked somewhat. I even went so far as to look up 1st, 2nd and 3rd person narrative styles to try to figure out which exactly this was being delivered in – but I’m still at somewhat of a loss but I think it was mostly 3rd person. If anyone else has read it and has a beat on it, do let me know lol.

Did anyone call for a Sherlock?

Have you ever read any Sherlock Holmes? Watched any of it? Ok admittedly I haven’t read any but I love the movies starring Robert Downey Jr – and I have to tell you that Archibald Clare reminds me so much of Sherlock Holmes in those movies with all of his logical deductions and his scrappiness. He is a mentath, and in this novel that is pretty much equivalent to a human logic machine. Give him a puzzle, riddle, mystery or what have you and he will undoubtedly be able to deduce all of the answers. He’s quite the character and not opposed to getting into a bit of scrappy action when need be which I wouldn’t have expected from a mentath – but then again I guess I should if I liken him to Sherlock aye?

There is some crazy business afoot

I’ve had quite the run around of a time keeping up with the squirrely plot line in The Iron Wyrm Affair but I mean that in the most endearing way. However there were times when there was soo much going on that I had to go back and reread or re-listen to parts entirely because I felt I had gotten lost in the deluge of descriptive information being given. The way the mystery unfolds in the storytelling kept me engaged and an active participant. More so during Clare’s parts probably because of Clare’s knack for talking things out from time to time. I thought the way that the elements of sorcery and steampunk were blended together were done quite nicely. The sorcery area focuses more on Emma’s character since she is the sorceress and that’s what we see whenever she is on the scene and of course the mentath Clare gets to tackle quite a few cool steampunk incarnations. The descriptions given of them are excellent! It’s overall action to the max that is in store for you with a very big mystery that needs unraveling, so much so that there was no telling what would happen next. I’m ready for the next Affair!

Only to some one into period para normal, it can be hard to follow if you're not knowledgeable of English history so you can grasp the alter parallel universe. The story is interesting, and I may get the next book, but I'll have to see what the story is about first.

Would you recommend The Iron Wyrm Affair to your friends? Why or why not?

See what I said about Why I would or would not this question is redundant

Which character – as performed by Moira Quirk – was your favorite?

Miss Bannon was most enjoyable

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Not really it is very complicated, and you really have to stretch your imagination. (not always what I want to do)

Any additional comments?

The story and characters are very complicated, and it is an alternate universe of Great Briton during Queen Victoria's time. It looses a lot for me because there is a lot of stretching of how Miss Bannon survives some really difficult situations. How come she survives and everyone else doesn't. It really doesn't follow a sequence that is enjoyable or even fun. However if the next book has a simpler story to follow, it may be more enjoyable.

I would try one in a different set than these but if it turned out a bad a this one then no more.

What could Lilith Saintcrow have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I was expecting an enjoyable pairing between the two main characters trying to solve a mystery (in the Sherlock variety). Ended up with two characters with no chemistry to be believable partners nor a mystery worth solving.

What aspect of Moira Quirk’s performance would you have changed?

The narrator was good... I could not fault the drivel she had to work with

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Iron Wyrm Affair?

80% of the entire plot...

Any additional comments?

I wanted to like this book. I usually get a kick out of the Steampunk genre but this really wasn't Steampunk.

The author kept going on and on about Primes, Shields, and Mentaths over and over. Got it already... two or three references then using the characters names... fine... but havethose three words pop up in every other paragraph really grated on my nerves and had me putting the book down several times.

Was a very hard book to push myself thru to finish and at this point I don't even know why I bothered.

When book reviews are lower than I would think I usually try to give the benefit of the doubt but in this case I should have heeded others advise.

I felt we really missed from some of Lilith Saintcrow's normal strenght. I believe she can thrive in this new Genre but she felt a little timid and if she spent more time in a few books I believe her talent, her tenacity and fanbase has the potential to make this a sucsessful series. As a first venture into a new Genre she has shown serious fundamental strengths in what appears to be a new series in a new Genre.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Iron Wyrm Affair?

Its so hard to choose

Any additional comments?

I have been a fan of Lilith Saintcrow fan for quite sometime and have read many of her books and this one just didn't catch me. I would rather her do a Demon Librian series as opposed to Bannon and Clare. I think I will try this in paperback it might be more exciting.

If the author didn't get all fancy in her descriptions. There were times when she would use terms to describe things that didn't make sense. I even rewound the audio to listen again and still couldn't get what she was talking about. also the magic itself was very confusing, and half the time i didn't understand what was going on in her "action" scenes. I have listened to hundreds of audio books, and honestly it took a lot out of me to listen to the end.

What could Lilith Saintcrow have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

I am sure all the events and their descriptions looked right in the author's head, but they forgot to explain it to the rest of us. Also there needed to be a bit of comedy in the book. none of the characters are enjoyable......at all. Then there was the whole love triangle part between the sorceress and her guard, but it fell flat and had me scratching my head, wondering why. Sure I assume the author wanted to have some sort of triangle of love later, but all of it, every last bit fell flat on it's face.

What three words best describe Moira Quirk’s performance?

flat singular voice

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

It had potential if the author only stopped trying to be so damn fancy with her descriptions, and just tell the story like most the other authors out there.

Any additional comments?

I love steampunk, but this one fell so flat that i am not going to bother with the next in the series. if you want a good listen in the Steampunk world get Pip Ballantine's books instead. now that is a male female duo that makes sense and works.

If you could sum up The Iron Wyrm Affair in three words, what would they be?

Fun Steampunk Adventure

What does Moira Quirk bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Moira Quirk was an excellent narrator. Her tone and accent were perfect, and she was pleasantly expressive without going overboard. I will look forward to listening to her again the next time she narrates a title of interest to me.

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